UDGAM SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN

Grade 7 English Literature

Lesson – Expert Detectives
Name: _________________________ Std /Sec: VII_____ Roll No._____ Date___________

A. Give the meanings and make sentences.

1) obviously – clearly
The boy did not win the race; obviously, he had no practice at all.

2) to thrust – to push, to press

The generous man thrust a hundred rupee note into the hand of the beggar.

3) to bribe – to influence illegally

It is not good to get any work done by bribing.

4) stubbornly – insistently, adamantly

He stuck stubbornly to his views on the matter.

5) to glare – to stare
People stared at the strange creature in front of them.

6) to bother – to annoy, to trouble

If you bother a dog, it will bark and chase you.
7) to give up- to stop
She gave up her idea of joining dance classes.
8) fury – anger
Now and then, nature shows its fury in the form of floods, earthquakes, and other
disasters.
A. Answer the following questions: (Short answer questions)

1) ‘Seven’ was another name given to Nishad. What was the reason behind it?
Nishad was also called ‘Seven’ because his name means the seventh note on the
musical scale.

2) What was the very ‘strange’ thing about Mr. Nath that Ramesh shared with
Nishad?
Ramesh shared that almost every Sunday, he carried two lunches to Mr. Nath’s room
and the same man was with him each time.

3) A brilliant thought occurs to Maya about Mr. Nath’s only friend on Sundays! What
was it?

Page 1 of 3 Class-VII / Subject - English / 2022-23

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 Maya came to a consensus that that Mr. Nath’s only friend might be his partner in crime.
He might be keeping all the loot and he used to come down every now and then to give
part of it to his partner, Mr. Nath for expenses.

4) What does Maya reply to Nishad’s comment ‘He looks so ordinary!’?

Maya replied in a witty manner, contradicting Nishad’s words saying that criminals can
look ordinary. She even gave example of the picture of a Hyderabadi housebreaker who
looked like any man on the street.

5) What did Mr. Nath say when Nishad knocked at his door? What did Nishad do?

On opening the door, Mr. Nath saw Nishad. He thought that he had come looking for his
lost marble. He asked him if that was the case. Nishad took the man’s hand into his own.
Then, he thrust a bar of chocolate into it.

6) Why did Nishad and Maya get a holiday?

The day when the school was to reopen after the summer holidays, monsoon broke out.
The roads were flooded with water and an unexpected holiday was declared by the
school. Therefore, Nishad and Maya got a holiday.

Long answer questions

1) Does Nishad agree with Maya about Mr. Nath? How does he feel about him?
From the beginning, Nishad disagreed with the notion of Maya that Mr. Nath was a crook
on the run. He felt that Mr. Nath was just a common man who likes being alone and
sympathizes towards him for his lean appearance. He even feels that Mr. Nath is a
generous person who gave good tips to Ramesh. So, possibly he is not a crook.

2) How does the story ‘Expert Detectives’ capture the essence of reality and
perceptions?
In this story, we understand that Maya is in constant process to prove her judgements
about Mr. Nath whereas Nishad was in opposition. He judged Mr. Nath by his behaviour
and manners. Maya on the other side was finding that all as a cover up about Mr. Nath.
She perceives that the underlying cause of Mr. Nath living in Shankar House, is because
he is a crook on the run. She even judges his facial scars as a result of some shootout
with police, but Nishad contradicts her statement saying that their mother confirmed them
to be burnt marks. Thus, the story highlights the essence of reality and perceptions.

3) What facts had Maya collected about Mr. Nath?

Maya collected the following facts:

• His name was Mr. Nath, and they must find out his first name.
• Other tenants at ‘Shankar’s House’ called him mad, strange, and unfriendly.
• He didn’t speak with anyone and lacked manners.

Page 2 of 3 Class-VII / Subject - English / 2022-23

bindu.ajikumar@udgamschool.com/falaknaz.malek@udgamschool.com/leena.trivedi@udgamschool.com
 • He never received any letters and had been living in Room no.10 as a tenant in
Shankar’s House.
• He didn’t work anywhere and was in his room the whole day.
• He had no visitors except the same man on every Sunday.

4) Why did Nishad walk quietly out of the room?

Maya and Nishad both had totally different views about Mr. Nath. Nishad considered
Mr. Nath as a quiet, weak and poor person who needed pity and help. Nishad’s mother
had known him as a polite person. He also paid in cash for his meals and tipped Ramesh
well.
On the contrary, Maya considered Mr. Nath to be a crook. She thought that the scars on
his face were caused by his encounter with the police. Nishad expressed his intention to
become Nath’s friend. She got very angry with Nishad. She warned him that he would be
sent to jail with Mr. Nath if he happened to befriend him. Nishad got offended by Maya’s
harsh words. He could not tolerate them. So, he glared at Maya. Finally, he walked out of
the room quietly.

Page 3 of 3 Class-VII / Subject - English / 2022-23

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